Average spot freight rates reveal minor changes

| Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Spot rate averages for freight were up, down and unchanged for the three modes for the week ending Saturday, May 30. This is compared with the previous week, according to DAT Solutions, which operates the DAT network of load boards.

Van rates remained stagnant at $1.85 for the fourth consecutive week. Los Angeles experienced rates as high as $2.09, also unchanged from the previous week. Rates for the month of May were down 0.5 percent from the previous month and declined 6.6 percent since May 2014. Load-to-truck ratios increased by 5.5 percent to 2.5 loads per truck. Three states – Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina – have a ratio of 5.5 or greater, three fewer than the previous week.

Reefer rates went up a penny to $2.19. Green Bay rates were as high as $2.65, unchanged from the previous week. Elizabeth, N.J., had the low rates of $1.83. Compared with May 2014, reefer rates are down 6.0 percent. Load-to-truck ratios fell 12.5 percent to 5.2 loads per truck. Four states have ratios of 12 or more, two fewer than the week prior.

Flatbed rates dropped a penny to $2.18. Harrisburg, Pa., had a high rate of $3.48, a 50-cent drop when compared to the previous week. Phoenix marked a low rate of $1.91. Rates are up 0.5 percent for the month but are down 7.2 percent in the last 12 months. There were 22.9 loads per truck for flatbeds, an increase of 17 percent from the previous week. Half of all states in the contiguous U.S. have ratios of 18 or higher.